52 Blessings Week 8: Part 4..Last but not least.

Nate
I am so grateful for my husband Nate. I have an Aunt and Uncle that always have so much fun together that as a very young kid I decided my future husband would have to be my best friend. In high school for fun I made a list of qualities I wanted my spouse to have and “best friend” was on the top of that long list. In college after too many awkward dates I tossed out everything on the list but “best friend.” Then I went on a date with Nate. I wish I could say I knew right away we were destined to be married but I can at least say I knew I wanted a second date. That was big for me. I had so much fun and felt so comfortable that night. Instead of wondering how I would avoid him on campus as had happened so many times before I was intimidated and scared by the thought that he might not ask me out again. (I had an allergic reaction to horses on that first date that could make for a great post on another day.) I am so blessed that he saw beyond the puffy, bright red bloodshot eyes, wheezing throat and runny nose and asked me out again.

We’ve been married almost eight years now and he is still my best friend. Besides being a fabulous friend he is a wonderful husband and father. He does things for me and indulges in things he thinks are silly, just because he knows I love it. He gets up with the kids in the middle of the night even though he has to be up earlier than me just because he knows I have a hard time falling back to sleep. If I’ve had a rough day with the kids he slides right in and takes over and gives me a break without me having to ask even though with his line of work he might have heard just as much whining or crying that day. I know that if I were two inches from the TV remote and he was across the room if I asked him he would get me the remote. That’s Nate. He wouldn’t know how to be Nate if he weren’t taking care of someone. His love language is service. Lucky me! His kids love him and he loves them, as a family we couldn’t ask for anything more, but he still gives us everything. I can’t think of a better blessing than to have found a friend that I will love forever.

52 Blessings Week 8: Part 3

How did we get from here to here so quickly!

Luke
I am the youngest kid in my family and my mom used to always say that I was the "frosting on the cake". I always thought it was just something fun and silly she used to say to me until I met Luke Vinson Stevenson on March 12, 2007. I thought I was done having kids after two incredibly sick pregnancies, but I kept having this nagging feeling that if I didn't have just one more baby I would regret it. I am so happy we decided against better judgment to add Luke to our family as he adds the perfect touch to our little group. He couldn’t be sweeter. It wasn’t until we went on family vacation in January that we realized he could already say mama, dada, ball, no, and up. I guess that’s what happens when you are baby number three. We are so happy that “no” was not his first word. Maya taught him that on our trip. His brother and sister love to smother him with kisses and attention and love nothing more than to hear him laugh and try and say their names. He loves to follow them around and goes crazy when they go up or down stairs since he hasn’t conquered them yet. He is full of life, laughs all the time and loves to wrestle around. With Luke I have enjoyed lingering over the little moments that I didn’t always allow myself with my first two children. You can’t ever spoil a newborn baby. It’s impossible to hold them too much or rock them to sleep too much. He’s one-year old next month and this year with him has truly gone too fast in my opinion. I cheer for him with each new skill he learns but I also get a little sad that my baby is growing up.

52 Blessings Week 8: Part 2

Maya

I am very grateful for my princess Maya. She is my little sweetheart and angel with a devil’s pitchfork! She has her own mind and refuses to follow anyone’s lead. She forges her own trails and isn’t afraid of anything. She can be the sweetest thing you’ve ever met; every other phrase out of her mouth is “Mommy, I love you”. She can also be the most stubborn thing; one day after being sick of nagging her to help Andy pick up their toys in the basement we just decided the next time to say calmly over and over that she could do the next activity as soon as she picked up her toys and leave it at that. The very next day we had a chance to try out our new technique. I spent two hours in the afternoon answering every request with “I’d be glad to do that when you’ve finished picking up your toys.” It came time for dinner for the rest of us and three more hours of screaming, yelling and crying (fortunately only on her part) the stand-off ended with her falling asleep in her fuzzy pink chair. We put her little sleeping body to bed and the next morning only had to spend two hours saying “Your breakfast will be ready as soon as you pick up those toys.” It took her all of three minutes to put the toys away as soon as she decided breakfast was worth putting away her things. That same stubbornness that tests our patience is also her gift which we hope to cultivate and never crush. When most kids freak out about medicine and shots she says, “I’m excited to get my shots so my body will be healthy”, she cringes for a second when the needle goes in, and then shakes it off and puts back on her brave face. She has the most beautiful smile and sings and dances her way around life and defies anyone not to love her for what she is.

Tuesday Tell All-- I have never...

"To Have and Have Not", Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall

"You know how to whistle dontcha' Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow."

I must admit that I have never learned how to whistle. People have shown me many times "how easy it is", including my 5-year old, but I've never seemed to be able to catch on!

52 Blessings Week 8: Part 1

ANDY

I am very grateful for my son Andy. He was born Andrew Nathan Stevenson on March 24, 2002 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I never grew up thinking I would be a stay-at-home mom. I always thought that was something I would do eventually after I had done something really cool with my life. When he was born though I finally felt I had done something for which I could be proud. When they handed him to me all I could think was that the tiny little stranger was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Andy consistently challenges us, surprises us, humbles us and loves us. He is very bright and inquisitive, which is part of the challenging part, and very passionate about everything. You never have to wonder what he is feeling and whatever he is doing is full-force.

I wish I were better at journaling because I could write a whole book on the funny things Andy comes up with, thinks about and says to others. A friend called me today to tell me that she has an antique secretary (piece of furniture) upstairs in her home that Andy asked her about when he was there the day before. She loves collecting antiques and was excited to tell him all about it. After listening to her and looking at it a little longer he told her he thought it looked more Egyptian than what she had described. As an art history major she remembered that he was actually right that particular pattern on the furniture had been modeled after an Egyptian design! The other day when I was driving Andy and his friend around I overheard Andy say to his friend, “Scientists think that it is impossible to count to infinity, but I don’t agree with them.” He talks so much it’s a wonder he ever has time to actually think about anything, but he soaks it all in and never stops searching for the next step or answer and isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo.

Homestyle--Karaoke

If you're reading this blog today, enjoy a little karaoke by yourself. Who cares who's listening, turn it up and belt it out!



Don McLean--American Pie
A long, long time agoI can still rememberHow that music used to make me smileAnd I knew if I had my chanceThat I could make those people danceAnd maybe they'd be happy for a while
But February made me shiverWith every paper I deliveredBad news on the doorstepI couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I criedWhen I read about his widowed brideBut something touched me deep insideThe day the music died
So bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in RyeSingin' this’ll be the day that I die,This’ll be the day that I die
Did you write the book of loveAnd do you have faith in God aboveIf the Bible tells you soAnd do you believe in rock and rollCan music save your mortal soulAnd can you teach me how to dance real slow

Well I know that you're in love with him'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gymYou both kicked off your shoesMan, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buckWith a pink carnation and a pickup truckBut I knew I was out of luckThe day the music died

I started singin'Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in RyeSingin' this’ll be the day that I die,This’ll be the day that I die

Now for ten years we've been on our ownAnd moss grows fat on a rolling stoneBut that's not how it used to beWhen the jester sang for the king and queenIn a coat he borrowed from James DeanIn a voice that came from you and me
Oh and while the king was looking downThe jester stole his thorny crownThe courtroom was adjournedNo verdict was returnedAnd while Lenin read a book on MarxThe quartet practiced in the parkAnd we sang dirges in the darkThe day the music died

We were singin'Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die,This’ll be the day that I die
Helter skelter in a summer swelterThe birds flew off with a fall out shelterEight miles high and falling fastAnd landed foul on the grassThe players tried for a forward passWith the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the halftime air was sweet perfumeWhile sergeants played a marching tuneWe all got up to dance,Oh but we never got the chance‘Cause the players tried to take the fieldThe marching band refused to yieldDo you recall what was revealedThe day the music died
We started singin'Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in Rye Singin' this’ll be the day that I die,This’ll be the day that I die

Oh in there we were all in one placeA generation lost in spaceWith no time left to start againSo come on Jack be nimble,Jack be quickJack flash sat on a candlestick ‘causeFire is the devil's only friendOh and as I watched him on the stageMy hands were clenched in fists of rageNo angel born in hellCould break that Satan’s spellAnd as the flames climbed high into the nightTo light the sacrificial rightI saw Satan laughing with delightThe day, the music died

He was singin'Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in RyeSingin' this’ll be the day that I die,This’ll be the day that I die

I met a girl who sang the bluesAnd I asked her for some happy newsBut she just smiled and turned awayI went down to the sacred storeWhere I’d heard the music years beforeBut the man there said the music wouldn't playAnd in the streets the children screamedThe lovers cried in the poet’s dreamedBut not a word was spokenThe church bells all were brokenAnd the three men I admire mostThe Father, Son and the Holy GhostThey caught the last train for the coastThe day, the music died
And they were singin'Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in RyeSingin' this’ll be the day that I dieThis’ll be the day that I die
They were singin’Bye, bye Miss American PieDrove my Chevy to the levy but the levy was dryThem good old boys were drinkin' whiskey in RyeSingin' this’ll be the day that I die

Tuesday Tell All— Love List

What do you la-la-love? When asked to write down what I love besides my husband, kids and religion it was funny to me that the only other immediate things that popped into my head were food. So the first things that topped my list were:


#1 Chocolate Milk (the pre-made kind not the powder) and #2 Chocolate Strawberries. I love so many things but apparently food is still way up there. When I relaxed and let my mind drift beyond food I thought of:

Sleeping in
Quiet Saturday’s at home with everyone
One on one time with my kids
Weekends away with Nate
Cuddling in a blanket and reading a good book on a rainy day
Girl’s night out
Book clubs
Classes
Eating out and last but certainly not least…
Every other Thursday when my whole house is clean at the same time!

52 Blessings Project Week #7

Riddle: What is the greatest room in the world?

Answer: Room for improvement.

I always find the latest fashions when they are “so last season” and never hear about the cool new shows until they are on their 5th season so I am honestly happy that it’s only week 7 of the 52 Blessings Project that I am starting with. That’s an improvement for me! So for my very first thankful item I am listing 2nd chances. If we learn anything from Hollywood we should remember that it is possible to continue to reinvent ourselves until we become the people we want to be and the people we were born to be.

So reinventing ourselves Hollywood style isn't exactly what I mean, but I am grateful for the opportunity we have to learn and grow and that when we make mistakes we can try to do better the next time. I don’t have a word for 2008 like many bloggers do, but one of my main goals for 2008 is to stop complaining about the things I don’t like and try to make changes. I am trying to learn from my mistakes rather than repeat them and to continue to push myself closer to becoming the person I want to be.

Confucius: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Sir Edmund Hillary, first to summit Everest (1953): It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

Family Vacation - Wild Animal Park Day 2

On January 20th we went to San Diego's Wild Animal Park for the 2nd day of our family vacation. We walked and walked and walked and rode a little and walked around some more and saw a lot of wild animals and had a great day. I didn't realize how much walking was still involved at a zoo that claims you are the one in the cage and the animals are out free. Oh well, we burned off all the churros and popcorn at least. The baby elephants at the zoo were too adorable!

Mom, why do you keep making animal noises at me? It's getting embarassing. What if somebody recognizes me!

Family Vacation - Wild Animal Park Day 2 cont.

Future blogggers. We need a photo of everything too!

Andy said, "This is the best idea ever mom!"

I did it!

We've been walking around this park for hours and

I still need to climb and burn off some energy.

Just a few minutes before this picture was taken they both said

they weren't tired or ready to leave the park!

Best Friends

I'm posting right now because Nate will be home from work in 10 minutes and I'm too excited to have him home for the whole weekend to be productive any longer. I feel like the friends in this video each time he gets home at night, only their energy and enthusiam is hidden by my tired body!

Come Thou Fount...

I went to a funeral yesterday. It was sad but always nice to see old friends and catch up for a minute. At the service they sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It’s always been such a peaceful song to me. I would sob my eyes out a mass murderer’s funeral I’m such a softy so I just avoided looking at the mother and let the song float through my head. I spoke to her afterward and broke down anyway. My baby was rushed to the hospital twice for seizures while my husband and I were out of town and far from him this past December. We didn’t know what was wrong with him and what the outcome would be. That was the most traumatic experience I’ve ever had in my life being so far from him and not knowing if I would get to see his smile or hear his laugh again. So when I went to talk to her my heart just broke only knowing just a tiny tiny part of what her heart must be feeling. I’m grateful for my belief in God and our ability to be with our loved ones again after we die. I can’t imagine how much worse it would feel to not have the blessing of knowing that this kind of separation is only temporary.